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[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

What Is the Fourth Commandment?

Billions of people in the world are missing out on the New Testament message of abundant living. Human reason, including non-biblical ideas of “human love,” continues to lead the world toward suffering, confusion, and disaster. What is the true way to love and peace in the world? Most professing Christians know the answer, Matthew 22:37. Jesus Christ gave these two principles to be obeyed by every human being.

“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:37–40).

My friends, this is the way to true life, meaning, and fulfillment. But why do so few enjoy this true life? Because human beings do not like to be told what to do. These are “commandments” and humans resist commandments, including the Ten Commandments.

But many would rather remain ignorant, because it suits their selfish desires. Aldous Huxley, the famous English author, expressed this perspective well.

“Most ignorance is vincible ignorance. We don’t know because we don’t want to know. It is our will that decides how and upon what subjects we shall use our intelligence” (Ends and Means, p. 312).

But there IS a God, and He commands us to love Him!

The First Great Commandment to love God is defined by the first four of the Ten Commandments, and the Fourth Commandment of the ten emphasizes a weekly action in loving God (Exodus 20:8–10).

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God.”

My friends, will you love God? Will you obey the Fourth Commandment? You need to know the true Christian way of life and the true Sabbath of Jesus Christ!

Stay tuned!

Which Day Is the Christian Sabbath?

Billions of people all over the world enjoy holidays. They celebrate secular holidays and religious holy days.

Muslims worship on Friday and follow the call to prayer five times a day. Jews around the world have worshiped for thousands of years on the Sabbath, the day that begins at sunset every Friday evening, and continues through sunset on Saturday. Professing Christians meet for Sunday church services, proclaiming theirs is the true day for worship.

The Sabbath controversy has continued for centuries. Did the New Testament change the Sabbath observance to Sunday worship? Should religious people set aside ANY special day as HOLY? Does your Bible COMMAND us to observe SUNDAY, the first day of the week, as a day of worship? Or should Christians observe the seventh-day Sabbath? On today’s program, we’ll answer that question from the Bible.

The most important questions of life are answered in your Bible. And yet, we see religious conflicts and differences even among professing Christian denominations. Why do so many professing Christians keep Sunday, while others keep Saturday as the Sabbath?

Early Christians—Jews and Gentiles—Kept the Seventh-Day Sabbath

To answer the question, let’s look at the beginning of Christianity as recorded in your Bible. If you have your Bible, turn to Acts 13:42.

In the first century ad, the Apostle Paul had preached on the Sabbath in the ANTIOCH synagogue. His audience consisted of both Jews and Gentiles. Notice that after the Jews left the meeting, the Gentiles made a request. Now, this was YEARS after the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Surely, if Christians were to keep Sunday, the Gentiles would have met with the Apostle Paul the very next day, Sunday, after they had met in the synagogue on Saturday. But did they (Acts 13:42)?

So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them...

WHEN? The next day, Sunday? No!

The Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath (Acts 13:42).

Read that again in your own Bible. “The Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath.”

My friends, the New Testament Church of the first century observed the seventh-day Sabbath. Let’s continue reading in Acts 13:43: “Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. [Now, listen to this!] On the NEXT SABBATH almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God” (Acts 13:43–44).

Yes, it was the Apostle Paul’s custom to preach on the Sabbath as it tells us in Acts 17:2. Many were converted to Christianity and continued observing the Fourth Commandment. Paul was very effective in his preaching to both Jews and Gentiles, as we read in Acts 18:4. He was in Corinth on this occasion:

“And he [the Apostle Paul] reasoned in the synagogue EVERY SABBATH, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.”

The Christians of the first century AD observed the seventh-day Sabbath. But when was it changed to Sunday? And WHO popularized Sunday observance?

The Catholic Encyclopedia, on the topic of “Sunday,” states this:

“Tertullian (202 [ad]) is the first writer who expressly mentions the Sunday rest: ‘We, however (just as tradition has taught us), on the day of the Lord’s Resurrection ought to guard not only against kneeling, but every posture and office of solicitude, deferring even our businesses lest we give any place to the devil’” (“Sunday,” The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 14, 1912).

That was not until 202 ad, more than 170 years AFTER the death, burial, and resurrection of the Savior, Jesus Christ!

Roman Emperor Constantine Declared Sunday the Day of Rest

And it was not until the fourth century ad that the Emperor Constantine ENFORCED Sunday worship throughout the Roman Empire. Constantine had been a pagan sun-worshipper. He gave the following edict in 321 AD:

“On the venerable day of the SUN let all magistrates and people … REST” (“Sunday Legislation,” Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, vol. 11, p. 147, 1911).

The sun-worshiping emperor Constantine, declared Sunday to be a day of rest. But what was the justification for that? Even Tertullian, whom we mentioned earlier, cited “TRADITION” as his authority. Listen, what is your foundation of truth? What is the source of your religion? Is it tradition apart from the Bible? Is it church authority apart from the Bible? Or is it the Bible itself?

Beware of Rejecting God’s Commandments

Jesus gave a very strong warning when human traditions contradict the commandments of God. Turn to Mark 7. Many churches have followed that wrong pathway, just as the Pharisees of Jesus’ day. Mark 7:7.

Jesus said, “In vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men…. All too well you REJECT THE COMMANDMENT OF GOD, that you may keep YOUR TRADITION” (Mark 7:7–9).

That is a warning I hope all of us will heed. Jesus stated He is Lord of the Sabbath. He observed the Sabbath regularly and He did NOT break the Sabbath commandment as some theologians assert. As He said in John 15:10,

“I have kept My Father’s commandments.”

And we as Christians must strive to follow our Savior’s example. He warned us:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven’” (Matthew 7:21).

My friends, will you follow the example of Jesus Christ and the instructions of your Bible? Or will you follow the tradition of men?

The Sabbath Rest—A Day of Worship for All of God’s People

Turn in your Bible to Mark 2:27. Jesus stated:

“The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.”

And notice what Jesus DID NOT SAY. He did NOT SAY, “The Sabbath was made for the Jews.” No, the Sabbath was made for ALL HUMANITY—for every man, woman, and child on planet earth! That is what Christ proclaimed!

We’ve seen that Jesus instructed His followers to keep the Ten Commandments. He Himself observed the seventh-day Sabbath, as did the Apostles. But is there OTHER New Testament evidence that Christians should observe the Sabbath? Yes, there is!

Hebrews 4:9 Says The (Seventh-Day) Sabbath Still Remains

Turn in your Bible to Hebrews 4. In this chapter, the Sabbath is pictured as a type of the millennial rest, as well as a memorial of God’s rest at creation. Speaking of the disobedience of the ancient Israelites on their way to the promised land, Hebrews 4:8 states:

For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. [Now, listen! Verse 9] There remains therefore a rest for the people of God (Hebrews 4:8–9).

The original Greek word for the word “rest” in verse 9 is “sabbatismos” which means “a Sabbath-keeping” (according to Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words) (“Rest,” Vine’s Complete Expository of Old and New Testament Words, p. 529, 1985).

Both the Revised Version and the New International Version translate verse 9 as “a Sabbath rest.” Yes, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, even to this day!

"Sabbatismos" Is the Original Greek Word in Hebrews 4:9

Now, does this mean a symbolic rest—or a literal Sabbath rest? The Anchor Bible Dictionary cites several secular Greek writings, where “sabbatismos” LITERALLY means “Sabbath observance” or “Sabbath celebration” (“Sabbath,” The Anchor Bible Dictionary, vol. 5, pp. 855–856, 1992).

My friends, there is no question that this verse is a New Testament statement on literal Christian observance of the Sabbath.

The context of Hebrews the fourth chapter does speak both of symbolic and literal rest. The Greek word “katapausis” is also translated “rest” in this section. But notice what God says of those who have now entered into God’s rest, that is—those who are converted, those who will now follow Christ. Notice this important statement in verse 10 of Hebrews 4.

For he [the individual Christian] who has entered His rest [God’s rest] has himself also ceased from his works [notice] as God did from His (Hebrews 4:10).

If we, as converted Christians, are to cease from our works just as God did from his, we simply need to ask one question: HOW did God cease from His works? Verse 4 of Hebrews 4 gives us the answer:

For He has spoken in a certain place of THE SEVENTH DAY in this way: “And God rested on THE SEVENTH DAY from all His works” (Hebrews 4:4).

There is no guessing here. New Testament Christians are supposed to rest just as God rested—on the seventh day! The Bible is very clear. Both the Old Testament AND the New Testament give Christians the clear example and instruction to keep the Sabbath Day Holy!

The scholarly Anchor Bible Dictionary affirms the responsibility of New Testament Christians to observe the Sabbath. It states:

“PHYSICAL sabbath-keeping on the part of the NEW COVENANT believer as affirmed by ‘sabbath rest’ epitomizes cessation from ‘works’ (4:10) in commemoration of God’s rest at creation (4:4 = Gen 2:2) and manifests faith in the salvation provided by Christ” (vol. 5, p. 856).

That’s quite a plain statement!

Do you realize, my friends, that the fourth commandment was not instituted at Mt. Sinai during the time of Moses? It already existed at the recreation as we read in Genesis 2:2. The fourth commandment states: “REMEMBER the Sabbath Day” (Exodus 20:8). God established the weekly Sabbath, not during Moses’ time! God established the Sabbath more than 2,500 years before Moses! Your Bible proves that fact.

The bottom-line question is: WHO or WHAT is your authority? Is it the Bible? Or some church and religion APART FROM the Bible?

The Sabbath has Never Been Changed

As we’ve seen, some religious leaders, including Roman Catholic and Protestant, claim TRADITION or church administration, APART FROM THE BIBLE, as their reason for keeping SUNDAY, rather than the Sabbath.

My friends, we can be very thankful that original Christianity, the Christianity of the first century, which observed the fourth commandment, has continued to this day. Biblical Christianity has continued in spite of persecutions through the centuries. For example, in the seventeenth century, Sabbatarian Christians were persecuted in England and searched for religious freedom in the new lands, the colonies of North America.

The royal charter of 1663 granted by Charles II of England, guaranteed religious freedom to the colony of Rhode Island. That charter can be seen today in the Providence, Rhode Island statehouse.

Evidence of Christian Sabbath-Keepers in American Colonies

Stephen Mumford and his wife came to Newport, Rhode Island in 1665 in search of religious freedom. They were the first Christian Sabbath-keepers in America. As their group expanded and grew, they needed a larger meeting hall. The Sabbatarians built a large meeting hall in 1729. It is now preserved by the Newport Historical Society. If you’re ever in Newport, Rhode Island you will want to visit this historic building. In fact, the oldest Jewish synagogue in America is located right next door to the Christian Sabbath meeting hall.

In the Newport Sabbatarian meeting hall is a raised pulpit. Behind the pulpit are two large plaques inscribed with the Ten Commandments. At the bottom of the second plaque is the Apostle Paul’s bold statement of Romans 3:31 in the King James Version. 

“Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.”

Yes, these New Testament Christians affirmed their allegiance to Christ’s statement:

“But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:17).

Sabbath-Keeping Christians Upheld All of the Ten Commandments

Sabbatarian church records, preserved in the Newport Historical Museum, contain members’ names and contributions. Most significantly, the church describes itself in those records as “keeping the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus, and in particular the Lord’s 7^th Day Sabbath.” And in eighteenth-century Rhode Island, there were other prominent Sabbatarians, including two governors of the Rhode Island colony, Richard Ward and his son Samuel—and even the first president of Brown University, James Manning, was a Sabbatarian.

Sadly, many over the centuries have chosen human tradition over God’s plain teachings. The noted Catholic theologian, James Cardinal Gibbons, wrote this bold statement:

“But you may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which we never sanctify” (The Faith of Our Fathers, pp. 72–73, 1917).

That is a quote from Gibbons’ The Faith of Our Fathers, first published in 1876.

In other words, Gibbons is saying, if the Bible is your authority, you have NO basis for observing Sunday. The Scriptures, as he states, “enforce the religious observance of Saturday.” We agree with his statement. What Gibbons and other Catholic authorities state, is that, it is the authority of the Catholic Church that changed observance in the Christian world from Saturday to Sunday, NOT the New Testament scriptures! And that occurred in the Council of Laodicea in the middle of the fourth century!

Furthermore, here is an admission by Harold Lindsell, editor of Christianity Today magazine and Southern Baptist minister (November 5, 1976):

“There is nothing in Scripture that requires us to keep Sunday rather than Saturday as a holy day” (“Consider the Case for Quiet Saturdays,” Christianity Today, November 5, 1976, p. 42).

The Blessing of the Seventh-Day Sabbath

So, will you keep the seventh-day Sabbath? It is a memorial of the Creation—and points to the true God and true Creator of the Universe. The book of Hebrews in the New Testament also emphasizes the Sabbath as a foreshadowing of the millennial Sabbath, the 1,000-year reign of Jesus Christ on the earth.

The seventh-day Sabbath has deep meaning for Christians.

The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27).

My friends, Christ and the Apostles observed the seventh-day Sabbath, and the biblical holy days. The Scriptures admonish us to follow their example. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Church at Corinth:

Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1).

The Apostle Peter exhorted us to follow the example of Christ (1 Peter 2:21).

For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps.

In observing the New Testament Passover, Jesus instructed His disciples to follow His example, even by practicing the foot-washing service. Jesus said in John 13:15,

“For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them” (John 13:15–17).

We look forward to the day when all peoples and all nations will do as Christ says. The Messiah will establish world peace, world government, true education, and the biblical way of truth, love, and life. All nations will OBSERVE THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. They will observe the weekly Sabbath and the biblical holy days! What a wonderful, peaceful, and prosperous world it will be for all peoples! Will you obey the fourth commandment? Will you follow our Lord’s instruction in Matthew 19:17? Jesus told the young rich man and us:

“But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:17).

God’s commandments are a joy for true Christians! As the Apostle John wrote:

For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5:3).

Or “not grievous,” as the KJV has it. The seventh-day Sabbath brings joy to those who observe it as God commands!

Thank you for watching!

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[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

Do You Really Know the Devil?

Red horns, pitchfork, pointy tail—the stereotype of the Devil as some sort of cartoonish figure has little to do with the reality. Satan the Devil is a powerful spirit being of immense influence in the world around us.

Not just a “symbol” of evil or a mere abstract representation of sin or temptation, Satan is a real, living, personal entity devoted to resisting the plan of God, corrupting the true faith, and destroying humanity.

Yet, for all people know about the Devil, or THINK they know about the Devil, one question inevitably arises, and today, we’ll answer that question. Join us for this episode of Tomorrow’s World where we ask and answer the question: “Where Did Satan Come From?”

Satan’s Greatest Trick—Convincing the World He Doesn’t Exist

Now before we answer our question today, we should perhaps first address a larger question: Is Satan the Devil REAL? Increasingly, people say “No.”

In July of 2023, The Hill reported on a Gallup poll asking Americans if they believed in certain ideas or beings rooted in religion, such as God or angels.

Results showed that belief in these ideas has diminished in the United States relatively consistently for more than 20 years, reaching a record low in all categories in 2023. And belief in the Devil was lowest of ALL—at only 58 percent. More than four out of every ten Americans believe Satan the Devil IS NOT REAL (“Belief in God, the devil falls to new low: Gallup,” July 20, 2023).

And I guarantee you, the Devil PREFERS it that way. It is far easier for him to influence society on every level—entertainment, education, government policy, science, and religion—if we think he does not exist in the first place.

How can we know if the Devil is real?

By turning to God’s word. Because if anyone knows whether Satan is real or not, it is the God of the Bible, the Creator of Heaven and Earth. In fact, if the Devil is a created being—and he is, as we’ll see in a few moments—then God CREATED him! Or, at least, created what BECAME him.

So, let’s turn to Scripture, the divinely revealed mind of God in print, and see what He has inspired in its pages that can teach us about the very real Satan the Devil. As we consistently tell you here on Tomorrow’s World, don’t just believe us—believe your Bible.

And that Bible is FILLED with warnings about the Devil—warnings that, frankly, few people believe, including, believe it or not, most who consider themselves “Christians.” Let’s read some of those warnings.

In the book of Revelation, the Apostle John speaks of a war to come in heaven and describes Satan in a manner that we MUST understand:

So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him (Revelation 12:9).

We learn several things from this. For instance, there are fallen angels who choose to follow Satan. We’ll discuss them later in our program.

But we also learn that Satan the Devil has deceived the WHOLE WORLD. My friends, do you believe what the Bible says, or don’t you? If you do, then you MUST accept that when God inspires His word to say that the Devil has deceived “the whole world,” it means just that! That means most of the people around us—including the one looking back at us in the mirror.

Now, it’s easy to conclude, “No, that couldn’t be ME! I believe in JESUS! I’m a Christian!” Well, that might be fine if the Devil always came across demonically, but he doesn’t. Frankly, he is quite focused on IMITATING JESUS CHRIST and convincing those who are following HIM [Satan] that they are following Jesus. Look at the Apostle Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 11 [vv. 13–14], where he explains how the DEVIL, not Jesus Christ, is behind many so-called “Christian” ministries. He says there plainly:

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.

No, not a red cape, “bad guy” mustache, and pitchfork. Rather, an “angel of light”! he is the MASTER of lies and deception! Read this description of him in John, chapter 8 and verse 44, where Jesus is addressing the religious leaders of His day and condemning them:

You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

The Devil truly HAS deceived the ENTIRE world! In 2 Corinthians 4:4, the Apostle Paul calls him “the god of this age,” and THREE TIMES in the book of John, no less an authority than Jesus Christ calls Satan “the ruler of this world.”

Does that shock you? Luke 4:6 makes this explicit during the temptation of Jesus. During that trial, the Devil offers Christ all the kingdoms of the world if only Jesus would worship him. Yet, Jesus never disputes with the Devil about that or tells him he has no authority to do that. Quite the contrary!

How did Satan come to possess such authority in the world? Why would God allow that?

Did God Create Satan to Become the Devil?

The first smaller question we should address as we answer the overall question, Where did Satan come from?, is whether Satan was CREATED or not. Some philosophies or religions like Zoroastrianism claim good and evil as eternally co-existing and some claim that God and the Devil must somehow exist forever together, as eternal representatives of those two forces.

The Bible, on the other hand, reveals that to be nonsense. God is the Creator, and all that exists—in both the spirit and the physical realm—came into existence because it was created by God—the two persons we now call God the Father and Jesus Christ. In fact, Ephesians 3:9 tells us that God the Father created all things through Jesus Christ.

And God created the angels, as well. In Psalm 104, in which King David praises God for the many beautiful aspects of His creation, the warrior poet writes in verse 4, God “makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire.”

In fact, the Bible speaks of a very specific angel’s creation in Ezekiel 28. There, God is inspiring the prophet to preach against the leader of Tyre—but, as the words make plain in a number of ways, the focus shifts from the human leading the nation to the spiritual power behind the throne, as if the human is only a prince, while the angelic power is the real king. Let’s read, beginning in verse 12.

Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, “Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created. You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you’” (Ezekiel 28:12–15).

Isaiah 14:12 names this being “Lucifer,” and he is the fallen angel that became Satan the Devil.

But notice in this passage that he was clearly a REMARKABLE creation! Clearly, God created him wise, beautiful, skilled, and PERFECT IN HIS WAYS. But a time came when iniquity, or sin, was found in him. The nature of that sin is addressed in more detail in Isaiah 14, but first, let’s take some time with this one here in Ezekiel—because it answers some important questions that many people ask about God and the Devil.

For instance, some ask, “If the Devil is so evil, why did God make him in the first place? Why would God make an evil angel?”

And we see here in Ezekiel that God DID NO SUCH THING.

God didn’t create the devil as some sort of evil enemy of all that is good. He created him wonderful, glorious, and good. Look again: Ezekiel writes that before iniquity was found in him, Lucifer was “the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.” He was even “the anointed cherub who covers” God’s throne, and he was “perfect in [his] ways from the day [he] was created.”

God did not create an embodiment of evil—He created something GOOD and BEAUTIFUL. Any claims that God would make someone inherently evil by design misunderstand the Bible.

In Revelation 15 and verse 3, at the end of this age, we read a song sung by the resurrected and glorified saints, and they say something important about God.

They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: “Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints!”

Yes, great and marvelous are His works, and just and true are His ways!

He did not create an evil Satan. Lucifer was created beautiful and with the potential for good things. In fact, doesn’t the Bible say the same about us? Ephesians 2:10 says to you and me, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Yes, you and I, too, are created for GOOD WORKS. Yet human history—and, if we’re honest, even the record of our own lives—reveals that being created with the POTENTIAL for good works and actually CHOOSING TO DO those good works are two very different things.

Lucifer may have been created with the potential for great good, but, as the passage in Ezekiel noted, eventually “iniquity was found in [him].”

What sin was found in Lucifer that could bring him so low? What was able to cause a beautiful, perfect being of such wisdom and majesty—as this angelic being was—to become the bitter, demonic Satan the Devil, utterly corrupt and wholeheartedly intent on destroying, if he could, the plan of God and the people of God?

Why Did Lucifer Fall from Heaven?

When the Bible first introduces the Devil, he is the serpent of Genesis 3, who tempts our first parents to sin in the Garden of Eden. That is, even in the Garden of Eden, he’s already the villain! Yet, we also read that he was not always that way, and that, eventually, “iniquity was found in [him].” We read that he was good, perfect, and beautiful. What transformed him?

If it can be summarized in one, single word, that word would be “pride.”

In the first century, the Apostle Paul advised Timothy about appointing men to authority in the Church, telling him to choose “not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil” (1 Timothy 3:6).

Yes, even the greatest of angels can be subject to pride. This is explained in Ezekiel 28:17, where, speaking to the Devil, God says, “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor….”

God created the angels as free moral agents. Like human beings, they can choose right or wrong for themselves.

In fact, the Scriptures tell of angels who defied God and abandoned the assignment God gave them. One place we read of that is Jude 6.

… the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day.

We learn more about this “proper domain” in another passage we will read in a moment. But first, notice that the Apostle Peter refers to these angels in 2 Peter 2:4.

… God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell [or, in the Greek, Tartarus, a place of restraint] and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment….

In Lucifer’s case, his pride led him to be discontent with his assigned place and to stage a rebellion against God and Heaven itself! We read of that rebellion in Isaiah 14, beginning in verse 12.

How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.” Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit (Isaiah 14:12–15).

Notice, too, a glimpse of the “proper domain” to which Jude referred. When Lucifer decided to attack God’s throne, where was he at the time? Read verse 13 carefully: “For you have said in your heart, ‘I will ascend into heaven…” and in verse 14, “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds….”

If you ascend above the clouds to leave your responsibility, then that responsibility is below them, here on earth! Before human beings, this world was Lucifer’s!

That explains why he told Jesus Christ in Luke 4:6 that earth’s kingdoms were given to him by God. This was his assigned area of responsibility, and it is the Devil whom Jesus will replace when He returns!

Lucifer’s rebellion was devastating to the earth before the recreation week of Genesis 1 and 2, leaving it in ruins—“without form and void.” He was no longer Lucifer, the light bringer, but Satan, the Adversary.

Satan is the God of this World—For Now

Now he, and the fallen angels he corrupted, are what we know as demons and evil spirits.

We’ve also noted that the earth was given to him as a region of responsibility. This explains WHY Jesus did not disagree with him when the Devil said that authority and the kingdoms of the world “[had] has been delivered to [him]” (Luke 4:6), WHY Jesus calls him three times in the book of John the “ruler of this world,” and why Paul calls him “the god of this age,” as we noted earlier!

So, does that mean God has given up the earth to the Devil forever? Not at all!

In fact, in John 3:8, the Apostle writes of a very important purpose for Jesus’ coming: “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”

By living in the hearts of converted, Spirit-begotten Christians, and living His life of obedience to God’s laws AGAIN in and through them, Jesus has already begun doing just that. And when He returns, the glorified Christ takes one giant step forward toward freeing all of mankind from the Devil’s influence. We read of that step in Revelation 20:

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while (vv. 1–3).

During these 1,000 years, the world will be turned into a paradise! As Isaiah describes this marvelous time, “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9).

Though, as Revelation 20 says, he must be released for a short time at the Millennium’s end, his ultimate fate is the Lake of Fire, never to influence another individual ever again. God will ultimately solve the problem of Satan the Devil.

But we don’t have to wait 1,000 years. We don’t even have to wait a day! We can begin the process right now of experiencing the work of Jesus Christ as he destroys the works of the Devil in our own lives—agreeing to seek God’s laws and ways in all things, obeying His commands, and asking God the Father and Jesus Christ for the help we need to be more like Them. Asking them for the strength to embrace uncomfortable truths—about ourselves, our beliefs and practices, and our faith—rather than allowing ourselves the luxury of comfortable lies.

For those who seek God’s help, with all their heart, in turning away from their sin and disobedience to God’s laws, and turning to obedience, submission to the will and authority of God and Jesus Christ over their lives, rest assured that the ears of God are open to such requests.

All of us here at Tomorrow’s World work very hard to help you understand your world from the pages of the Bible, and we hope that you’ll come back. If you’d like to see more videos like this, just click on “Subscribe,” and if you want to be notified, just click on the bell.

Thanks so much for watching!

[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

Are You Easily Offended?

Trigger Warning: If you are offended by Political Incorrectness, this telecast is not for you.

When did political correctness begin? And why do we have it? Who’s behind it? And, where is it leading us? Is it humorous, harmless, or hurtful? And should we fall in line with the ever-changing language landscape referred to as “P.C.”?

Here’s another important question: What would Jesus do? Would He be led about by social engineers, as a bull is, with a ring in his nose? Or would He be politically incorrect? How can you know?

Most of us living today have grown up with the constantly changing language of political correctness. The term itself became part of our vocabulary in the 1960s and ‘70s when drugs, rampant sex, and Vietnam War protesters flooded American university campuses. The change in how we expressed ourselves often appeared silly, foolish, and laughable. But is it to be laughed off?

Stay tuned as I’ll show you what is behind P.C. and answer the question of what Jesus would do.

Marxism in Politics: Change the Language

A warm welcome to all of you from all of us here at Tomorrow’s World, where today I’m addressing the subject commonly referred to as political correctness. Have you ever considered what’s behind this ever-changing language landscape? Where did it begin? And what’s the end-goal of those promoting it? Boston University professor emeritus Angelo Codevilla explains:

“The notion of political correctness came into use among Communists in the 1930s as a semi-humorous reminder that the Party’s interest is to be treated as a reality that ranks above reality itself” (Malcolm Kline, “The Origin of Political Correctness,” Academia.org, November 18, 2016).

He explains that it began as a joke among communist party insiders—as in:

“Comrade, your statement is factually incorrect.”

“Yes, it is. But it is politically correct” (Kline, Academia.org).

Conservative author Bill Lind asks an important question that too few consider, and he sees it holistically, as part of a greater picture:

“Where does all this stuff that you’ve heard about this morning—the victim feminism, the gay rights movement, the invented statistics, the rewritten history, the lies, the demands, all the rest of it—where does it come from?” (Bill Lind, “The Origins of Political Correctness,” Academia.org, February 5, 2000).

Lind then confirms P.C.’s Marxist-Leninist underpinnings and warns that there is nothing humorous about its intended goal.

“The name originated as something of a joke, literally in a comic strip, and we tend still to think of it as only half-serious. In fact, it’s deadly serious. It is the great disease of our century, the disease that has left tens of millions of people dead in Europe, in Russia, in China, indeed around the world. It is the disease of ideology. PC is not funny. PC is deadly serious” (Lind, Academia.org).

Political Correctness: Destroying Western Culture

It’s a mistake to think of Political Correctness in isolation.

It’s part of a greater political movement, as indicated by Codevilla and Lind. Many in America think in political terms of liberal (meaning left) and conservative (meaning right), but fail to recognize that there is both liberal and left and these are not the same. Leftists, unlike liberals, are socialist totalitarians. Let’s call them what they are—Marxists—and they are working to destroy America and other Western countries. It should be obvious to anyone taking an objective view of what is taking place around us that their goal is to tear down Western democratic nations, and make them into something very different from their roots.

As self-confessed liberal Kirsten Powers explains in The Silencing: How the Left Is Killing Free Speech, the left is not liberal, but illiberal, sometimes referred to as progressive—and who isn’t for progress? Powers writes:

On campuses there are speech codes, so-called “free speech zones,” and a host of “anti-discrimination” policies that discriminate against people who dissent from lefty groupthink. Christian and conservative groups have been denied official university status by student government organizations for holding views not in line with the liberal dogma. The illiberal left’s attempts to control the public debate are frequently buttressed by a parade of childish grievances. They portray life’s vagaries as violations of their basic human rights and demand the world stop traumatizing them with facts and ideological views that challenge their belief system. They insist colleges provide “trigger warnings” on syllabi to prevent them from stumbling upon a piece of literature that might deal with controversial or difficult issues that could upset them.

The illiberal left yearns for a world sanitized of information that offends them (Powers, The Silencing, p. 6).

The goal of the illiberal left is to tear down and destroy.

P.C. is merely one tool in a broader campaign that involves denigrating authority, destroying the nuclear family, and controlling speech, behavior, and even thought. While Tomorrow’s World is not political, we can call out and expose the ultimate object of their campaign of destruction. They seek a world without God. They wish to forever remove the moral underpinnings of an orderly world that are found in the Bible. The Bible is God’s instruction book, a manual for mankind to know how to live. Lind minced no words when he explained nearly 24 years ago: “Political Correctness is cultural Marxism. It is Marxism translated from economic into cultural terms….”

The totalitarian nature of Political Correctness is revealed nowhere more clearly than on college campuses… where the student or faculty member who dares to cross any of the lines set up by the gender feminist or the homosexual-rights activists, or the local black or Hispanic group, or any of the other sainted ‘victims’ groups that PC revolves around, quickly find themselves in judicial trouble…. That is a little look into the future that Political Correctness intends for the nation as a whole” (Lind, Academia.org).

Controlling the Narrative

But, this subject is only one tool in a greater movement undermining the foundations of Western civilization, and that movement seeks to remove God and His word from our world forever.

Consider where we are today. As explained in the first portion of this program, what we see is nothing less than Marxist totalitarian dogma. And it is no longer confined to university campuses. It has crept into education at all levels, including the earliest introduction to children’s education. It’s everywhere, from the military, to media, to business—large and small. It’s expected and enforced. Corporate America (and this is not confined to America alone) in too many cases is now requiring employees to declare their preferred pronouns below their names. Even if it is simply,

Mr., he, and him,

or,

Mrs., she, and her

To not do so is to put one’s job at risk. That’s where we are today. Who would have thought we would see such things, even as recently as ten years ago?

Political Correctness is often viewed by sincere and naïve people as an attempt to be compassionate and non-offensive to an ever-growing list of individuals placed in protective categories. According to one website, some examples of which I’ll refer to in this program:

The politically correct euphemisms help us to avoid discriminating against other people on the grounds of: a) age, b) appearance, c) gender, d) health, e) personality, f) race, g) relationship status, h) religion, i) social status, and j) work (“Discover 100 Politically Correct Euphemisms,” PurlandTraining.com, 2020).

Now, here are a few of the examples listed by this source:

Instead of “Able-bodied” say “Non-disabled”

Instead of “Dead” say “Terminally unavailable”

Instead of “Deaf” use “Hearing impaired”

Instead of “Blind” use “Sight impaired”

Instead of “Elderly” or “old people” say “Senior citizens”

And, here’s my favorite when it comes to foolishness:

Instead of “Bald” say “Follically challenged”

(PurlandTraining.com)

Individually, and superficially, some of these language modifications may appear harmless or humorous—even compassionate. But referring to someone as “follically challenged” is nothing short of silliness.

Thought Police: Subtle Accusations

At the same time, as brought out by Kirsten Powers, young people are being indoctrinated into the idea that they should be offended by any perceived slight. The term used to describe these offenses is micro aggressions. One must wonder what the future holds for an overly sensitive generation offended by almost anything. How will they cope in life if the story of “Old Yeller” places them in deep depression because they experienced the loss of their beloved dog? Such a personal event is painful—I understand that firsthand—but it’s part of life. As the saying goes—Get over it!

So why are these social engineers doing this? What is their end game? Dr. Codevilla asks:

Why does the American Left demand ever-new P.C. obeisances? (Kline, Academia.org)

He goes on to explain:

In 2012 no one would have thought that defining marriage between one man and one woman, as enshrined in U.S. law, would brand those who do so as motivated by a culpable psychopathology called “homophobia,” subject to fines and near outlaw status (Kline, Academia.org).

Note that dishonest use of language is employed here. If you disagree with homosexuality, for any reason, you must be phobic—fearful. It is not politically correct to say so, but that’s a lie. Codevilla continues:

Not until 2015–16 did it occur to anyone that requiring persons with male personal plumbing to use public bathrooms reserved for men was a sign of the same pathology. Why had not these become part of the P.C. demands previously? Why is there no canon of P.C. that, once filled, would require no further additions? Because the point of P.C. is not and has never been merely about any of the items that it imposes, but about the imposition itself (Kline, Academia.org).

Their Goal: to Change How You Think

Probably not all people behind Political Correctness are avowed Marxists, but they understand that how people express themselves linguistically changes how they think. And don’t be naïve—these people are dedicated to changing the way that you and I think! While some changes appear humorously silly, others have a darker reason behind them—to turn upside down all biblical and traditional values and bring about an amoral, anything-goes world. Immoral choices are promoted, but if that choice brings tragic results, it’s never one’s fault. A drug addict must be referred to as someone who is chemically dependent. This deflects personal responsibility and the stigma of the truth. After all, much of current pop-psychology involves convincing us that whether we are:

Addicted to drugs

Abusing alcohol

Over-eating

Hopelessly in credit card debt

or

Chronically late for work,

it is not our fault. Tardiness syndrome is the label, but frankly, your boss doesn’t care about labels—show up for work on-time or be fired, or as P.C. puts it—“become a victim of restructuring.”

Much of what is called P.C. goes beyond a distraction—it’s dishonest deception. When we know someone who is clumsy and refer to him as uniquely coordinated, it is as though he, first of all, is coordinated, just different from the rest of us. An illegal alien is exactly that, but these social engineers don’t want us to state the truth. To them, he is neither illegal nor an alien, but an undocumented worker. Such an expression deflects from the truth that he is in the country illegally. Juvenile delinquents become children at risk. Now of course they are children at risk! Because they’re delinquent!

And here is one that MS Word seeks to change: mankind to humankind.

While humankind is a legitimate word, why the insistence on avoiding the equally legitimate word mankind?

What is behind this is something quite sinister. It is part of a broad design to degrade both men and women and the roles they play in society. Anything with man in it must be changed:

“Man on the street” to “Average person”

“Man up” to “Be brave”

“Manhole” to “Maintenance hole”

“Man-made” to “Synthetic”

and,

“Manpower” to “Workforce”

(PurlandTraining.com)

And rather than man or woman, it should simply be people. Why? Is it too difficult to discern the agenda behind it all?

The attack against the way we were made is relentless and political correctness is a powerful tool to transform the way we think. What may have appeared silly and humorous at first has become a relentless attack on normality and morality.

Male and Female He Created Them | Genesis 1:27

Nowhere is there a more sinister attempt to change thinking than in the matter of the way God made us—male and female (Mark 10:6). Even if an American Supreme Court Justice cannot tell us what a woman is, any normal thinking person without an agenda or panel to satisfy, can. You are here, able to understand this, as the result of a sperm from a man and an ovum (egg) from a woman, coming together and carried in the womb of the woman—not a man. But how often we hear people fall prey to leftist jargon, as in “the gender assigned at birth.” No, dear friends, it is not assigned. It’s biology and every right-minded person knows that. We should not fall for such destructive word games.

Yes, there is a very small percentage of people who are born intersex, meaning that their genitalia are ambiguous, but to use this rare fact is a ruse. These are not the men competing in women’s sports or invading women’s changing rooms. These are not the girls encouraged by social media to solve their teenage insecurities by taking testosterone, binding their chests, or worse.

Politically Incorrect: Jesus Christ and the Bible

I said I would answer the question, “Would Jesus be led about by political correctness?” The answer is quite simply, No. God does not conform to mankind’s agenda-driven word games of oppression wrapped in compassion. He calls human actions as they truly are (1 Corinthians 6:9).

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9–10).

God does not sugarcoat immorality, paper over lies, or fail to punish for unrepented sin. He says it as it is in Revelation 21:8.

But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death (Revelation 21:8).

Furthermore, the prophet Isaiah condemns those who play word games and turn language upside down, calling evil good, and good evil. It is God who is the reliable source determining right from wrong. [Isaiah 5:20]

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! (Isaiah 5:20).

Supposedly intelligent university students may not be able to tell you how many sexes there are, yet for most of us, it’s quite simple. A child is born, and parents rejoice over a boy or girl. Until recently, they did not fret over some dishonest socialist-inspired construct that the newborn falls within a spectrum. They naturally understood by observation.

While addressing the Pharisees, Jesus confirms what Moses recorded in Genesis 1, that there are only two sexes. Note it in Matthew 19:4:

And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE,’ and said, ‘FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH’?” (Matthew 19:4–5).

None of this is meant to say that we should needlessly offend anyone. The Apostle Paul instructed the people of Colossae.

Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one (Colossians 4:6).

And when Jesus came and spoke in His hometown synagogue:

… all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth (Luke 4:22).

Yet, He did not shy away from speaking the truth to them. He, nor we, should enter into someone’s fantasy world of confusion. We should speak the truth. And Jesus was never concerned about pleasing men, paving over the truth, nor being politically correct. The result of His honesty with those of His hometown is found a few verses later.

So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff (Luke 4:28–29).

Yes, there is sometimes danger in speaking the truth—and doing so requires two things: honesty and courage.

Political correctness is seen by many to either be silly and harmless, or caring and compassionate. It may be silly, but it’s not harmless, it’s not caring, and it’s not compassionate. Satan is the father of lies, and he must revel in the party joke,

Comrade, your statement is factually incorrect.

Yes, it is. But it is politically correct.

As Bill Lind concluded in his “Campus Report” 24 years ago, he said:

In conclusion, America [and I’ll add Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom and some other countries] today is in the throes of the greatest and direst transformation in its history. We are becoming an ideological state, a country with an official state ideology enforced by the power of the state. In “hate crimes” we now have people serving jail sentences for political thoughts. And the Congress is now moving to expand that category ever further…. It’s exactly what we have seen happen in Russia, in Germany, in Italy, in China, and now it’s coming here. And we don’t recognize it because we call it Political Correctness and laugh it off. My message today is that it’s not funny, it’s here, it’s growing and it will eventually destroy, as it seeks to destroy, everything that we have ever defined as our freedom and our culture (Lind, Academia.org).

Political Correctness is part of a larger agenda at work today.

There is nothing innocuous about it. It may not have been around when Jesus walked the earth, but understand from the scriptures that Jesus and His servants would not have fallen prey to an agenda hostile to scripture.

I hope you profited from this video.

If you found it helpful and want to learn more, be sure to get your free DVD “A Culture in Crisis” by clicking the link in the description, or go to TWTV.ORG/Crisis.

We here at Tomorrow’s World want to help you understand our world through the pages of the Bible. So be sure to like, subscribe, and hit the bell so you don’t miss another video.

Thanks for watching! See you next time.

[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

The End of the World?

The November 2023 National Geographic magazine featured the headline “The Race to Save The Planet: Can Technology Help Fix the Climate Crisis?” An almost universal feeling is that the end of the world is coming soon. And the Doomsday Clock maintained by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists confirms that danger!

Can science save us? Will God save us? Can we have any hope for the future? There is one source that outlines the history of the world and its guaranteed future, and that is this book, the Holy Bible. It reveals from the Creator of the Universe the detailed sequence of prophetic events, the ultimate condition of all nations on earth, and the encouraging future of humanity! On today’s program, we will reveal from the Bible the Good News God has in store for humanity.

There is a NEW world that is coming with the return of Jesus Christ to this earth! He will teach the world a way of life that leads to peace, prosperity, and abundance. And that is the good news, the gospel, that Jesus of Nazareth preached. You have probably never heard that gospel in your local church. But you will hear it on this program, “The Good News Gospel”!

Stay tuned!

A Gospel of Real Hope

We all yearn for good news, but the media and news programs shock us to the reality of apocalyptic dangers and Armageddon! As of January 2024, the famous Doomsday Clock of the Bulletin of [the] Atomic Scientists has set the measure of danger to our world as 90 seconds before midnight!

The greatest prophet who ever lived, Jesus of Nazareth, warned that “no flesh would be saved” from the Great Tribulation to come. But He also said that “for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened” (that’s Matthew 24:21–22). Yes, the Savior of the world WILL intervene! He will return as He said in John 14:3, and He will establish a world of peace and prosperity called “The Kingdom of God.” Do you know THAT is the gospel He Himself preached?

Mark 1:14, “Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.’”

On today’s program, we will share the good news revealed from your Bible! That good news includes a new “world to come” stated in Hebrews 2:5.

In the New Testament of your Bible, the English word “gospel” is translated from the Greek word euaggelion, which according to the NAS Exhaustive Concordance is translated “good news” or according to Thayer’s Greek Lexicon is translated “good tidings” (“euaggelion,” BibleHub.com).

What IS the good news that Jesus preached? The world’s religions teach many so-called gospels. Which one, if any, is the TRUE gospel? The Apostle Paul warned the church in Corinth that they were accepting most any gospel. 2 Corinthians 11:2,

“For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!”

Or as the NIV states, verse 4, “For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.”

The Corinthians were so tolerant and inclusive that they accepted a false gospel! My friends, have you taken for granted the religious messages given to you in your church? God tells us through the Apostle Paul, “Test all things; hold fast what is good.” That’s why we say on Tomorrow’s World, don’t believe us just because we state something, but prove it from your own Bible. Or as the KJV states it, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

What, then, IS the good news Jesus preached? Again, as we read earlier in Mark 1:14–15, “Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.’”

Here we see three elements in Jesus’ proclamation: One, the Kingdom of God; two, the nature of true repentance; and three, sincere and genuine belief.

Some believe the Kingdom is already here and that the church is the Kingdom! But God from heaven proclaims the COMING Kingdom, ruled by the King of kings, Jesus Christ. Revelation 1:1:

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place.”

My friends, the book of Revelation is Christ’s message to you! Revelation 1:3:

“Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.”

How do we know that today’s mainstream Christian church is NOT the Kingdom of God? The message is very clear and powerful from heaven. The seventh trumpet announcement proclaims the greatest event in all human history. Read it in your own Bible! Revelation 11:15,

“Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!’”

That’s the wonderful news of the gospel. The warring, selfish, oppressive nations of the world will be conquered and controlled by the King of kings! But first, the nations will fight against Christ at His coming! Revelation 11:18,

“The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, and those who fear Your name, small and great, and should destroy those who destroy the earth.”

My friends, will you fight against God? You need to be on God’s side and rejoice in the coming Kingdom of God. As Jesus said, you also need to “believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15).

The Saints Will Rule With Jesus Christ

In the first part of our program, we saw that the gospel Jesus Himself preached was the Kingdom of God. The good news is the coming world of peace and prosperity under the Kingdom or government of God, ruled by the King of kings and Lord of lords. It will come after the great battle of Armageddon, or as it states in Revelation 16:14, “the battle of that great day of God Almighty.”

Christ will win that battle, as we saw in the first part of our program:

“These [nations] will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful” (Revelation 17:14).

“And the LORD shall be King over all the earth” (Zechariah 14:9).

What kind of government will rule all nations? First, the Kingdom has a ruler. And who is that? In Revelation 19 we read,

“And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Revelation 19:16).

In the coming Kingdom of God, all peoples and all nations will learn the way to peace. Thank God for His loving government that will ensure world peace for all nations. The amazing world to come will have a universal system of laws to ensure godly liberty and freedom. Notice that in Micah 4:2,

“Many nations shall come and say, ‘Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.’ For out of Zion the law shall go forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

Weapons of war will be turned into instruments of peace and productivity. Some of you may have seen the sculpture outside of the United Nations in New York, depicting a man beating a sword into a plowshare. Imagine how the world will be transformed from destructive ways to productive ways. Micah 4:3, “He shall judge between many peoples, and rebuke strong nations afar off; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.”

Yes, God’s divine government will produce universal peace. The awesome prophecy of Isaiah will finally and completely be fulfilled:

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this (Isaiah 9:6–7).

The Prince of Peace will govern all nations! And who will assist Christ in ruling the nations?

The Apostle Peter asked Jesus what the apostles’ responsibilities would be. Matthew 19:28, “So Jesus said to them, ‘Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.’”

Jesus also gave a vision of the kingdom to his disciples, Peter, James, and John. He told them in Matthew 16:28, “Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” Whom did they see in that vision? Matthew 17:1, “Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him” (Matthew 17:1–3). Yes, Moses and Elijah will be major governmental leaders in the kingdom to come. Then Jesus told His disciples, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead” (Matthew 17:9).

Who else will assist Christ in governing the world? In the inspiring free booklet we’re offering today, Dr. Roderick Meredith writes this concerning “Organization of God’s Kingdom”: “Who will rule under Christ? God certainly trained Abraham for a top position of high responsibility in the world ahead. Scripture calls Abraham ‘the heir of the world’ (Romans 4:13). Yes, God will reward Abraham for his faith by giving him a position of service over the whole earth!” (p. 4).

Yes, Abraham is the “heir of the world.” And WE will participate in that future IF we are truly Christian.

As it tells us in Galatians the third chapter: “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:26–29).

Not only will Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob be rulers in the coming Kingdom, but so will ancient King David. God will unite the house of Judah and the house of Israel into one nation.

And who will rule over them in God’s coming Kingdom? Ezekiel 37:24,

“David My servant shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd; they shall also walk in My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them. Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children’s children, forever; and My servant David shall be their prince forever” (Ezekiel 37:24–25).

Ancient King David was a man after God’s own heart, as it tells us in Acts 13:22. King David ruled over the combined kingdoms of Judah and Israel, and he will have that responsibility in God’s coming Kingdom.

Embracing the Kingdom: A Call to Transformation

And, my friends, you could be a part of that Kingdom. Faithful Christians will serve under Christ as kings and priests! Listen to the song of the saints in Revelation 5:9, speaking of Christ,

“You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, [now listen to this] And have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:9–10).

But how can we ever have lasting peace among nations? The answer, my friends, is by a change in human nature. Your Bible reveals the problem of human nature. Romans 8:7, “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.” The RSV states it this way: “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, indeed it cannot.” Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” Or as the NIV states it, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”

That’s why God has an awesome plan of salvation—that we can be converted from human nature to divine nature. If you have come to the place in YOUR life where you have repented and believe the gospel as Jesus stated in Mark 1:15, you may want to consider committing your life to Christ and to counsel for baptism. God made it plain what a repentant sinner must do.

The Apostle Peter stated in Acts 2:38, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

The Lamb of God, our Savior, Jesus Christ, paid for your sins by His blood. We have been redeemed by “the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” as it tells us in 1 Peter 1:19. Friends, you need to believe the good news that you can be forgiven of your sins.

The way to peace among all nations is a change in human nature. That change begins with education. We learn from the prophet Isaiah that peoples from all over the world will travel to the capital of the world to be reeducated!

“Many people shall come and say, ‘Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore” (Isaiah 2:3–4).

Instead of massive military expenditures on deadly weapons of mass destruction, nations will invest in the health and prosperity of their peoples!

The Messiah, the Prince of Peace, will teach all people in His Kingdom to repent of their evil and carnal nature. The prophet Ezekiel gives an example of the future survivors from the Great Tribulation. Ezekiel 36:24,

“For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God” (Ezekiel 36:24–28).

Yes, God will give them a humble and teachable heart. A heart that will learn the very love of God. As it tells us in 1 John 5:3, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.” The whole world will learn the way to peace and true values. You need to seek that coming Kingdom. Jesus stated the very purpose and goal in life: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (that’s Matthew 6:33)

Embracing the Vision: The Glorious Kingdom of God on Earth

In the conclusion of our program, I’d like to give you hope and encouragement. The good news of God’s coming Kingdom reveals the role faithful Christians will have in the world ahead. True Christians will be serving all nations as kings and priests, assisting the King of kings in re-educating the world to the way of true love, peace, and prosperity. Revelation 20 describes the role of faithful Christians during the Millennium, the thousand-year reign of Christ on the earth. Revelation 20:6,

“Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.”

My friends, visualize the transformed world under the King of kings. The amazing world ahead, the glorious Kingdom of God on earth, will produce beauty and productivity the world has never known. God has blessed the earth with awesome majestic mountains, fertile valleys, and productive plains. We marvel at pristine lakes and churning oceans. We appreciate the variety of flowers, plant life, birds, animals, and sea life. Even the very nature of ANIMALS will change.

Isaiah gives us this Millennial vision, ISAIAH 11:6,

“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:6–9).

Thank you for watching!

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[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

Three Hard Questions About Scripture

We live in an amazing time where the Bible, God’s word, is one of the most widely available books on the planet. Whether on a bookshelf in your home or on an app on your phone, most of us have a Bible easily within reach.

But that doesn’t mean it’s always easy to understand. The truths of the Bible are simple, but that doesn’t mean we don’t still have questions.

The good news is that God has answers. Join us on this episode of Tomorrow’s World for another installment of “Your Questions, the Bible’s Answers!” as we tackle three common and challenging questions and answer them directly from the pages of your Bible!

Greetings! Welcome to Tomorrow’s World, where we help you make sense of your world through the pages of the Bible.

You know, the Bible isn’t just a book—it’s the inspired word of God. The night before He was crucified, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, told His Father in prayer, “Your word is truth” (John 17:17).

However, that doesn’t mean it is always easy to understand. And—when you think about it—why should the Bible always be easy to understand? Its words are intended to convey to us the mind of God! And as our Creator tells us in Isaiah 55:8, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways.”

Yet the Bible can be understood with God’s help and a little effort. And comprehending God’s word is worth that effort!

But today, we’re going to focus on three specific Bible questions and, in each case, not only explain the Bible’s answer, but also highlight the broader principles you can use in the future to answer Bible questions for yourself.

Our three questions today are:

1. Where did Cain get his wife?
2. Which are the right “Ten Commandments”?
3. (And) Are Enoch and Elijah in heaven?

So, let’s get started!

Question 1: Who Was Cain’s Wife?

Our first question is a favorite of atheists who seek to discredit the Bible, but also a legitimate question sometimes asked by sincere people simply trying to understand.

Genesis 1 and 2 are plain that the first human beings God created were Adam and Eve. And Genesis 4 speaks of their sons, Cain and Abel: “Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, ‘I have acquired a man from the LORD.’ Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground” (Genesis 4:1–2).

You may know the story of Cain and Abel. Both brothers made offerings to God, but Cain’s offering was not as worthy as Abel’s. Instead of seeking to learn and improve, Cain became filled with anger, and, eventually, he killed his brother, Abel. Murder started early for the human race!

After God curses Cain for his sin, we read in Genesis 416–17, “Then Cain went out from the presence of the LORD and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden. And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch” (Genesis 4:16–17).

And THIS brings us to our first question! Many ask, “Where did Cain get his wife?” After all, Adam and Eve were the first humans, and the only two children mentioned here are Cain and Abel—two boys, one of which is dead. So, just whom did Cain eventually marry? Surely not a giraffe, or an oak tree! People marry people! And who was there for Cain to marry?

To answer this question, we need to consider the first principle we will apply for answering Bible questions: Examine the context around the verse or passage.

So, let’s examine additional verses near this tale in Genesis 4 to see if we can get more details. And, indeed, we can—right next door in Genesis 5! Beginning in verse one of Genesis 5, we read,

“This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created. And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. After he begot Seth, the days of Adam were eight hundred years; and he had sons and daughters” (Genesis 5:1–4).

Now note that: Adam lived another eight hundred years and continued conceiving sons and daughters. Yes, Adam and Eve’s family did not just consist of Cain, Abel, and Seth. Instead, when God commanded them in Genesis 1:28 to “be fruitful and multiply,” they did exactly that! And for how long? Notice that Genesis 5:5 says that “all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years”—that is a long life! Given that the events of Genesis 1, 2, and 3 were about 6,000 years ago, Adam lived almost one-sixth of that time! And that is plenty of time to have many children.

So, the answer to “Where did Cain get his wife?” is plain: Cain married one of his sisters.

Now, of course, today no one should marry his sister! But remember, we’re talking about the very beginning of humanity! God directly created Adam and Eve, personally designing every feature of their bodies and biology. The genetic problems that plague children of close kin today would not have been a problem in the beginning. And while God later forbids such relationships in His law, as seen, for example, in Leviticus 18:9, it simply wasn’t necessary at the beginning. In fact, after Adam and Eve, but before the laws of Leviticus, the patriarch Abraham was married to his half-sister (Genesis 20:12).

The point is that there need be no difficulty at all in understanding the Bible’s statement. Yes, Cain had a wife, and that wife was his sister—another descendant of Adam and Eve. Simply reading a little more of the context around the passage immediately clears up the question.

Question 2: Which Ten Commandments Are the Right Ones?

Our next question has not only been used by some in attempts to discredit the Bible, but has also been a source of confusion in different denominations claiming to be Christian. It might be called “The Case of the Battling Commandments.”

If you’re a longtime viewer of Tomorrow’s World, you’ve heard us teach about the vital importance of the Ten Commandments numerous times in the program. Jesus Christ loved the commandments, and Christians everywhere are commanded to live by them.

Yet, just what are the Ten Commandments?

Well, the answer you get will vary depending on whom you ask!

The Ten Commandments in the Bible

The list of ten commandments given in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 is parsed differently by different groups. Here are the two main approaches:

For example, many would give the following summarized list of the Ten Commandments:

1. You shall have no other gods.
2. You shall make no graven images.
3. You shall not take God’s name in vain.
4. You shall remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
5. You shall honor your father and your mother.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness.
10. [And] You shall not covet.

The Catholic 10 Commandments

Yet, if you ask a Roman Catholic, you might get this list of summarized commandments:

1. You shall have no other gods.
2. You shall not take God’s name in vain.
3. You shall remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
4. You shall honor your father and your mother.
5. You shall not murder.
6. You shall not commit adultery.
7. You shall not steal.
8. You shall not bear false witness.
9. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.
10. [And] You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.

You’ll surely notice that those two lists are not the same. The first one has a commandment against the use of idols, the Second Commandment. But that commandment doesn’t show up at all in the second list, the Roman Catholic one. And, in the first list, the last commandment is against coveting. But in the second list, the Roman Catholic one, that command is split into two commands: not coveting your neighbor’s wife and not coveting your neighbor’s goods.

So, that brings us to today’s second Bible question: Which are the right Ten Commandments?

We know that there are ten because the Bible says so, itself. We see this in Exodus 34:28, Deuteronomy 4:13, and Deuteronomy 10:4.

But which are the Ten?

To find the answer, you might look at Deuteronomy 5, which lists all ten commandments. There we see the final passage stated this way in verse 21.

You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife; and you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.

But should “you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife” be broken out as a separate commandment from “you shall not desire your neighbor’s house,” his field, etc.? The verse numbering was added by scholars later, so that doesn’t help.

Looking at the verse, it seems that there is no way to tell—so is the answer to the question (Which are the right Ten Commandments?): “It depends on whom you ask”?

Nonsense! Because the truth is not determined by Roman Catholic councils or Lutheran synods or Evangelical conferences. The truth is determined by the word of God, and when it comes to His commandments, He makes the answer plain.

To discover it, we just need to use another helpful principle for understanding the Bible: Examine other scriptures that cover the same topic.

Jesus Christ said in John 10:35 that “the Scripture cannot be broken,” meaning God’s word does not contradict itself. So if two passages of the Bible speak about the same subject, including the Ten Commandments, they must both be true.

In this case, we should ask ourselves: Is there any other passage that also lists the Ten Commandments, other than Deuteronomy 5?

And, yes, there is! The Ten Commandments are also listed in Exodus 20. In fact, that chapter comes before Deuteronomy 5, and is the chapter most would turn to first to read the Ten Commandments in the Bible. There, we can read the end of the commandments in verse 17.

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.

Notice one very important difference from the way Moses worded the ending in Deuteronomy 5: When God spoke these words in Exodus 20, the part about not covering your neighbor’s wife is placed inside the rest—after the part about your neighbor’s house!

So, when God spoke the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20, did He accidentally mix them up? Did He start by going from the eighth commandment and skipping the ninth to give part of the tenth commandment, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house,” then jump back to the ninth commandment, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife,” only to suddenly jump forward again to finish the tenth? That’s ridiculous! If anyone understands the Ten Commandments, it’s the divine One who spoke them aloud at Mount Sinai!

And these two passages, Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5, cannot both be right if the commandment against coveting is split into two pieces—coveting your neighbor’s wife and then coveting everything else. They only work if there is only one commandment—the tenth commandment—against coveting anything that is your neighbor’s!

So, which Ten Commandments is the real Ten Commandments? The one that includes an explicit second commandment against making and worshiping idols and that has one unified tenth commandment against coveting.

And you don’t have to take my word for it. Take the Apostle Paul’s, who summarized the single tenth commandment himself as, simply, “You shall not covet.”

So, if you are wondering who gets the Ten Commandments right—your local clergyman or the Creator of the Universe who thundered them to His people at Mount Sinai—I’d stick with your Creator!

Question 3: What Happened to Enoch and Elijah?

Our third question involves two famous individuals in the Bible: Enoch and Elijah the prophet.

Now in the case of Enoch, Genesis 5 gives us an interesting tale concerning this ancient patriarch. Amidst many who were sinning and living unrighteously, we read of him beginning in verse 21: “Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah. After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him” (Genesis 5:21–24).

The phrases “he was not” and “God took him” have led many to believe that Enoch was removed from earth and taken into heaven. In fact, when I was a child, I had a popular children’s Bible that told its version of the story of Enoch and titled it “The Man Who Walked into Heaven”! This understanding is bolstered in the eyes of many by the fact that the passage does not mention his death explicitly, and the Apostle Paul, writing in Hebrews, said that Enoch was “taken away so that he did not see death.”

Like Enoch, another biblical figure is thought by many to be in heaven: The prophet Elijah. In chapter 2 of the book of 2 Kings, we read how the time came for the mantle of prophetic leadership to be passed from Elijah to his protégé Elisha: “Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven” (2 Kings 2:11).

Part of the challenge in these passages is that the language is ambiguous and open to interpretation. Nowhere in the story of Enoch are we told where he was taken, and nothing explicitly and clearly says that he did not die. And in the case of Elijah, the Bible speaks of three heavens: the air above us where birds fly and clouds move, the space above that in which the stars shine, and then what Paul calls “the third heaven” in which God dwells. Whenever “heaven” is mentioned in the pages of your Bible, it’s vital to keep in mind these three different possibilities and determine from the context which one applies to the passage. Which one applies here to Elijah’s chariot ride is not immediately clear.

All of this brings us to the common question: Are Enoch and Elijah in heaven? That is, are Enoch and Elijah still living up in heaven, in the presence of God and the angels?

The details of what happened to Enoch and Elijah after their disappearance is a larger topic than we have time for, but the answer to the question itself is actually very easy—and it involves a third fundamental principle that is eminently helpful for anyone trying to understand the Bible: Use plain scriptures to help explain those that are more ambiguous.

In this case, the tales of Enoch and Elijah have ambiguities that we need to resolve. Yet, there are very plain passages that are far easier to understand. And these passages leave us no doubt as to whether or not Enoch and Elijah are alive in heaven.

Let’s look at one—spoken by none other than the Son of God, Himself: Jesus Christ! Speaking to a Pharisee named Nicodemus, who himself may have believed Enoch or Elijah were in heaven, Jesus is very plain, saying in John 3:13, “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.”

There you have it from Jesus’ own mouth.

No one has ascended into heaven.

Jesus Christ, the Son of Man and the Son of God, is the only man to have traversed both heaven and earth. He didn’t say “No one but two…” or “No one but Enoch and Elijah….” He said “No one.” And that leaves no room for our two Old Testament friends.

In fact, we can go further. We mentioned earlier that Enoch is mentioned in Hebrews. That passage, Hebrews 11, is called by some the “Heroes of Faith” chapter, and Enoch is mentioned in verse 5. But later, in verse 13, we are told very plainly what has happened to all of these “heroes of faith.”

These all died in faith, not having received the promises (Hebrews 11:13).

“These all” would include Enoch, eight verses earlier. In fact, of course Enoch and Elijah have died. Romans 3:23 promises us that:

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

And Romans 6:23 tells us that:

The wages of sin is death.

More could be said, but no matter what tale we might speculate about concerning Enoch and Elijah, these plain verses limit us to what must be true: That Enoch and Elijah are now dead, awaiting their reward, and are not in heaven. To claim otherwise would be to disagree with the declaration of Jesus Christ Himself. In this case, the plain verses of the Bible add clarity to those that are more open to misinterpretation and misunderstanding.

How to Study the Bible

Concerning where Cain could have gotten his wife, we’ve seen that Adam and Eve had many children, including daughters, easily providing a wife for Cain.

Concerning which collection are the Ten Commandments, we’ve seen that skipping the second commandment about idols and splitting the tenth commandment about coveting into two different commandments violates the word of God.

And as for Enoch and Elijah, we have determined that, no, they are not in heaven—trusting Jesus Christ when He says that He is the only man to have trod both heaven and earth at this time.

But more than simply answering three questions, we’ve also illustrated three solid principles that you can use in your own Bible study:

• Examine the context around the verse or passage.
• Examine other scriptures that cover the same topic.
• Use plain scriptures to help explain those that are more ambiguous.

And studying your Bible is worth the time you invest. As the Apostle Peter told Jesus Christ after His Master had just delivered a challenging message that was difficult to understand, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).

And the inspired words of the Bible are just that: the words of eternal life. Your effort to understand them will be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams!

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